Alberta tables fingers-crossed budget awash in red ink, but promising spending
EDMONTON — Cash-strapped Alberta is banking on bad times getting better in a fingers-crossed budget that drips red ink but promises a hospital, new schools and more money for seniors and social services.
Critics pounced on it as a selfish and short-sighted blueprint that heralds a looming — and very ugly — day of financial reckoning.
“We are laying the foundation for a return to economic growth,” Finance Minister Joe Ceci said Thursday prior to tabling his 2017-18 fiscal plan.
“Are we out of the woods? No. We will continue to bring the deficit down, to balance thoughtfully and prudently, and we will do so without sacrificing the supports and services families need.”